


Ori gets grounded

by TwurtleEggy



Series: Ori, but a little to the left [9]
Category: Ori and the Blind Forest
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Gen, Ku's there but soft bird sleepy so she's not a character, Other, see I said I'd do something with Ginso
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 16:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24030139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwurtleEggy/pseuds/TwurtleEggy
Summary: ...And then promptly un-grounded.
Relationships: Kuro/Original Male Character (Ori and the Blind Forest), Ori & Everyone (Ori and the Blind Forest), Sein/Ori (Ori and the Blind Forest)
Series: Ori, but a little to the left [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709002
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Ori gets grounded

**Author's Note:**

> Picks up the day after the end of "Foreign Affairs".

Ori groaned and rolled onto his stomach. "This is so boring."

"It's also what you get," Naru said with a humph.

"Why though?"

"Several reasons!" she exclaimed. "For one, you stayed out far too late! You had me worried sick!"

"Mom, I saved Nibel _and_ Niwen, and I was with Sein. There was no way I was going to get hurt."

"Speaking of Sein!" She turned on her foot to look at her son, who was now looking away bashfully. "Why didn't you tell me you two were together? I've missed out on so much potential teasing!"

"That's exactly why!"

She smiled softly and walked over to her son, rubbing his head lightly. "Well then, you could have just asked me not to tease you," she grinned cheekily, "I still would have teased you, just a lot less." He groaned and flopped onto his back.

"Mooooom."

"No whining young man."

He grumbled and rolled onto his stomach, turning around to face his mother. Something seemed to come across his face, as his eyes widened. "Wait a minute... I'm an adult! You can't ground me!" Naru burst out in laughter, covering her eyes with one hand and holding her stomach with the other.

"Oh, so you finally figured it out!" She scooped her son up and hugged him tight.

"Moooom!"

Naru held her son out in front of her and smiled softly. "Ori, you know how much I worry about you, right?"

"A lot?"

"Yes, but do you know _what_ I worry about?"

He tilted his head. "I... guess not."

She hummed, "I worry about you being happy. You have so much hope in you, so much joy that you so readily give to everyone around you. Yet it seems like you're never willing to accept the happiness others try to give you."

Ori pouted an stuck his tongue out. "I'm plenty happy!"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." The spirit fidgeted uncomfortably and tried to wriggle out of her grasp. She sighed and put him down, but kept her hands on his shoulders. "How about this: you go to the Spirit Tree, and spend some time with Sein that _won't_ leave me worried for your health and general safety, okay?"

Ori looked at the floor glumly, his ears turning down in sadness. "Sein's busy..."

"Then why don't you try and help them with whatever they're busy with?" Ori's ears flicked up at this, and his eyes shone with excitement as Naru let go of him.

"That's a great idea!" He hugged Naru as well as he could, then dashed out of Swallow's Nest towards the Spirit Tree. "Thanks mom!" He shouted back with a wave.

Naru waved back with a smile. "Have fun!" Once he was out of earshot, she smirked. "And give me plenty of time to set this up..."

* * *

Sein stared at Ori, who was standing in front of their perch saluting. "You want to help us?"

"Yep!" He dropped the salute and started bouncing on his hooves. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Does Naru know you're here?" The Spirit Tree rumbled.

"Yes sir!" He sat down and looked at the tree. "She was the one who told me to come here!"

"Well, that was rather thoughtful of her," Sein said. "As for what you can do... I honestly don't know. Company would be nice, though."

"Yeah, I can do that! So... should I talk about something or..?"

"Well, how's Naru?"

"Oh, she's fine," he rocked back and forth a bit. "She grounded me for like, an hour."

"How? You're an adult, she can't ground you."

"Yeah, but I kind of... forgot." He rubbed the back of his head and they sighed.

"You know Ori, you're a massive dork sometimes."

He giggled and bowed. "Only for you."

The Spirit Tree chuckled deeply. "You know, as adorable as this is, I think I have an idea. How about you two take a trip to the elements? You'll get to see how things have changed since you left, you can easily purge them of any impurities," his voice took on a more devious tone, " _and_ you get to spend some time alone." 

Ori hopped onto his hooves, "That sounds like a great idea! Which one should we go to first?"

"Why not Ginso? I'm sure they'll appreciate the visit."

"Wait," Sein interrupted, "don't I get a say in this?"

Ori blanched, and turned to them with a squeak. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude!"

"Wh-Ori, you weren't being rude, just forgetful," they soothed. "And besides, I was just messing with you. I think that's a great idea."

"Oh, okay!" They floated out of their perch and to his side. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"

"Have fun you two," the Spirit Tree called as they hopped down and started towards the Spirit Well.

"We will!"

* * *

"It has been far too long since we have seen you."

"It really has been, hasn't it," Ori said. Sein floated around the Element of Waters, checking for impurities. "Would you like us to visit more?"

"It would be pleasant," Ginso replied, "though we would not wish to cut into your free time."

Sein snorted. "Trust me, we have _more_ than enough of that. Way, way more. I honestly don't know why we didn't visit earlier."

"We are a rather forgettable creature."

"Are you kidding?" Ori laid on his stomach and leaned on his elbows. "I can't even figure out if you're one creature or two. You are the opposite of forgettable."

"Your words of kindness are appreciated, blinded one."

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, it's no-"

"Ori," Sein interrupted, "if you finish that sentence, I'm cutting our trip short, and we're going back to Swallow's Nest." The spirit shut his mouth and simply laid there, watching his partner work.

Actually, that gave him an idea. "Ginso, have you ever liked someone romantically?" Sein paused midair and looked down at him.

The element-tree-thing laughed softly. "No, blinded one, we have not. We do not believe we are even capable of such emotions."

"Really?"

"Truly. You must remember that we are a combination of raw water magic and a tree. We feel very few emotions other than content and discontent."

Ori frowned. "That sounds awful."

"Perhaps it is. Perhaps, however, we will one day learn to feel more emotions. We do not know what will happen next, and we prefer it that way."

"Still, don't you wish you could feel more emotions?"

"We wish for good rains," they said. "We wish for the warmth of the sun. We wish for the good health of the forest, and all of its inhabitants. We wish for nothing more than these simple things. To be given more would be a gift, but not one that we necessarily desire; and, perhaps, not even one that we would be able of using."

"...That still sounds like a kind of awful life."

"To you it does," Ginso replied. "But this is because of who you are, blinded one. Your desires, your goals, they reach beyond what we are, what we know, out and onward to places and emotions we can only dream of. Perhaps, one day, we will be able to see the places you reach for, feel the emotions you so desperately crave. For now, however, we are content with what we have."

"You are?"

"Yes. We have all that we wish for; nothing more, and nothing less. We are content."

He pondered their words for a while as Sein finished up. "Thank you, Ginso. That was a good talk."

"It is our pleasure, hero of the Blind Forest."

Sein went down to his side, and he made his way to the Spirit Well within the Ginso Tree, using it to warp to the Forlorn Ruins. "Going in order?" Sein chirped.

"Yep!" They reached the path to the element, and Ori stood there. "Do you wanna go straight to the element, or do you wanna visit Kuro first?"

"How about we check the element, then go to Kuro?"

Ori nodded and continued to the element. "That's fair."

They reached the pedestal that the Element of Winds now sat upon, and Sein took to checking it. "So. While we're alone... want to talk about anything personal?"

"Meh. Naru still wants to tease us a bunch." Sein snorted. "Hey, how do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Snort."

They thought for a moment. "Good question. I have no idea." Ori laughed sweetly, and their light brightened a bit.

"Well then, do I do anything that confuses you?"

"Not really. I don't get how you always manage to come out on top, no matter how hard a challenge is, but I figure that that's just you being you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well..." they floated aimlessly for a few seconds, roaming around the room. "You're just... I don't really know how to describe it. You're you, and you're incredible."

Ori blushed and kicked at the ground. "I'm not that great..."

"I disagree. In my opinion, you're the greatest creature alive." His blush only grew, and he pointed at them.

"See, that's a factually wrong opinion," he squeaked, "because _you're_ the greatest creature alive!"

"False," Sein scoffed. "I can't even begin to describe how incredible you are, my sweet hero."

Ori's face flushed entirely crimson, and he covered his face with his hands. "Can we just finish up and go see Kuro?"

"Oh, but I'm enjoying this so much," they said, coming down to be right in front of his face. "Do you not want me to give you the praise you so rightly deserve?"

"What are you two doing?" Both of them jumped and looked up, seeing Kuro above them.

"Kuro!" Ori clambered up the walls and onto the owl's head. "Help, Sein's harassing me!"

Kuro looked down to Sein and grinned. "Are you now!"

"Of course," they stated, "only the best of harassment for my great savior." Ori hid his face again, muttering random nonsense.

"Well then, I suppose I'll simply have to save him from your clutches," she teased. "Do come by my nest once you've had some time to think about your actions, young... whatever you are." Sein snorted and returned to the Element, allowing Kuro to flit through the tunnels back to her nest.

* * *

Kuro landed in her home, letting Ori slide off her back. "Thanks for helping me out, Kuro," the Spirit Guardian said.

"Oh, no trouble at all!" She smiled sneakily. "Though, aren't you supposed to be _grounded?"_

He sighed. "I forgot I'm an adult and my mom can't ground me, okay?"

She scoffed, and raised a wing to her chest. "Why, your mother can absolutely still ground you! What nonsense are you talking about?" Before he could respond, there was a tired groan, and Ori looked into a small pocket of the nest. Lying there, curled up in a small fluffy ball was Ku. "Ah, yes," she whispered, "please try to keep your voice down. Ku's been very tired ever since Phoenix healed her wing-she's fine, don't worry. This is normal after such a severe healing."

"How long's it gonna take her to get back to normal?"

"Only a couple more days."

"That's nice," he muttered. "Say, where are your other kids and Phoenix?"

"Down below. Phoenix is teaching them how to ice fish-not that he's going to do a very good job. I don't know if he's ever fished in his life." Ori giggled and rubbed Ku's head, the sleepy owlet leaning into the touch.

"Kuro?" The two turned to the edge of the nest, where Phoenix was now coming up from. "Oh, hello Ori." The spirit waved to the fire bird. "Um, Kuro, could you please help? Tok's a little... stuck."

"Of course he is," she mused. "How about you watch over Ku and I teach the kids?"

"That would be great."

"Very well then. Sein should be coming up soon, so be ready for them." The fire bird nodded, and Kuro brushed past him with a nuzzle and a smirk, before gliding down to the lake below.

"So," Ori sat down and leaned on his hands, "how are you adjusting to Nibel?"

"Better than I thought I would," he admitted. "It's different from anywhere else I've lived, or just anywhere I've visited."

"Isn't it great? The unpredictability of it all, I mean."

Phoenix fidgeted a bit. "I guess so. It's a little worrying, but I have Kuro, so I think I'll do fine."

"You trust her that much?"

"Of course," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "She is my goddess. I trust her with my life."

Ori sat for a moment as a sneaky smile grew on his face. "Phoenix, you just gave me a great idea, thank you so much."

"You're... welcome? What did I even say?"

"Nothing, nothing. Hey, I'm going to go back to the Element, okay? Me and Sein are going to Horu next, and the Spirit Well is closer to the Element than the nest."

"Where you go is none of my business. Knock yourself out, buddy."

Ori thanked him and patted Ku on the head, before jumping out of the nest and back into the tunnels leading to the Element. He knew them well, and a bit of gliding, dashing and jumping later, he arrived at the Element.

"Oh, Ori!" Sein called out when they saw him. "Perfect timing, I just finished!"

"Nice!" Ori smirked deviously. "Now, would you like me to guide you to Horu, my lord?"

Sein froze on the spot. "I'm... sorry? What did you say?"

"Would you like me to guide you to Horu, my lord?"

They floated there nervously. "Ori, I'm not a lord."

"But isn't the hero usually supposed to guard some sort of ruler," his smirk grew, _"or deity?"_

"I-" their light spluttered weakly for several seconds, then stabilized. They slowly floated down and pressed against his chest, letting him hold them. "Fine. But don't say that again! Or at least give me some sort of warning so I can be ready for it!"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Ori!" He laughed and made his way to the Spirit Well, warping to Horu.

"Would you like me to escort you the rest of the way?"

"Ori..."

"Would you?"

They hesitated for a moment, and his smile faded slightly, concerned he had overdone it. "Yes, I would like that." Ah, he hadn't. Yet.

"Very well." He navigated his way through Horu to the Element of Warmth, careful to hold on to Sein the whole time. As he stepped up to it, their glow brightened up, probably excited at the prospect of a distraction. That wouldn't do at all. "We are here, my lord. Though, may I suggest that you rest? You seem rather tired."

"Ori, where did you even learn how to talk like this?"

He snickered. Clearly they didn't feel like playing along; might as well drop it. "The Spirit Tree taught me."

"Did he ever tell you why?"

"Nah. You think something like this was the reason why?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," they sighed. "Conniving jerk..."

"Sein, don't be rude. Now seriously, do you want to take a break?"

"No, I feel fine. Now please let me go so I can check the Element. And don't tease me while I'm checking it!" He snickered and let them go, watching them float up to the Element of Warmth.

"You know, it kind of looks like you're dancing when you check the Elements."

Sein hummed, "I suppose it does."

He sat down and kicked his legs, humming a little tune while they did their thing. He never really liked Horu-it was too hot, and it gave off an atmosphere of finality he really didn't like. Lucky for him, Sein hated the place just as much, and they finished up their examination and minor cleansing of the Element as quickly as they could. "All right, done! Now, lets leave; this place sucks."

"Agreed," Ori muttered, Sein settling into his arms again. They navigated back to the Spirit Well, and warped back to the Hollow Grove.

"We're back!" Ori called out to the Spirit Tree, receiving a rumble of acknowledgement in response. "So," he looked down to Sein, "I guess this is it for today?"

"I guess," they whispered. "I really wish we could hang out more." Ori looked off towards the Spirit Tree blankly. "Ori?"

He blinked and looked to them with a smile. "Sorry, just thinking. Yeah, I wish we could hang out more too. But this'll just have to do, yeah?"

"Yeah..."

Ori smiled and kissed their top. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," they said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you."

* * *

Naru was stirring a pot of stew when Ori walked into the cave. "Hello Ori! Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah, I did." Her eyes narrowed.

"You seem distracted. Is everything alright?"

He looked around the room, seemed to just soak everything in. He stared at her for a few seconds, then walked over and hugged her. "Yeah, everything's alright. I was just thinking about some stuff."

"Mmmm, alright." She rubbed her son's head, and returned to making her stew. "We're having some carrot stew for dinner."

"...Mom, is it okay if I get my own dinner for tonight?" She looked at him and blinked owlishly. "I feel like... I need to be more independent, take more responsibility. I'm thirty years old, I should be, I don't know, just generally doing more stuff myself, right?"

"I... guess so." She sighed and tapped the side of the cauldron with her spoon. "I'm sorry, it's just... it still feels like just yesterday I first found you. I suppose I'm a bit unready for you to have grown up so much." She sniffed lightly and patted his head. "No matter what, you'll always be my little baby."

"And you'll always be my mom. But I need to grow up, be more responsible for myself," he pouted, "not get tricked into being grounded." She laughed and hugged him.

"Oh, Ori. You may grow up, but you'll never change."

He snorted and sighed, wriggling out of her grasp. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm gonna go get something to eat. See you in a little bit."

"Good luck!"

"Thanks!"


End file.
